Develop Bugs

Fire TV updated even though I have it blocked through my router

I have a ASUS RT-N10P running Tomato Firmware 1.28 by Shibby. My Fire TV was not rooted. I attached a picture of the access restrictions.
I know the block is working most of the time because if I try to download the stock firmware from here ( aftvnews .com/software/ ) I get a webpage not available error. The problem seems to occur as soon as my router boots up. There seems to be a lag for the access restrictions kick in. I first noticed it on the 51.1.1.0_user_511070220 update a while back, I turned on my Fire TV and out of the blue it was updated. Thinking back, it was after a power outage. I didn't think much of it. Well last night I was messing around with my network and power cycled my router/modem. I went to use my Fire TV later on and sure enough, the 51.1.3.0_user_513011520 update got through. I know for a fact it was on 51.1.1.0 earlier before I rebooted my router.
Any ideas on why this is happening? Anyone else have this problem with Tomato Firmware?

my unit also updated with the router blocking and we had a few storms loosing power temporarily ,It is starting to make sense now but i with purchase a ouya as a second unit and no need for blocking root but the fire tv is still a awesome unit without root alas i will miss the root option

It's best to go the simple route of disabling via PackageManager:
Code:
pm disable com.amazon.dcp

roligov said:
It's best to go the simple route of disabling via PackageManager:
Code:
pm disable com.amazon.dcp
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah but you have to be rooted for that, no?

I ended up making a free OpenDNS account, changed the DNS servers on my Fire TV (208.67.222.222, 208.67.220.220), and blocked the appropriate URL's from OpenDNS. Sounds like it's more reliable then just blocking through your router. I don't really care about rooting but I do not want Amazon to somehow break XBMC. That's all I use my Fire TV for 95% of the time.

[Q] Settings.apk after Update

I just received the latest update on the Fire Stick, v.54.1.1.0_user_11041020.
I now can no longer access some menus on the sideloaded settings.apk. I click the bluetooth menu, and it closes out the app. Same with the wireless and data usage menus. So I can't pair up any wireless keyboards now.
I've uninstalled and reinstalled without any luck.
Any workarounds??

StoopidHead said:
I just received the latest update on the Fire Stick, v.54.1.1.0_user_11041020.
I now can no longer access some menus on the sideloaded settings.apk. I click the bluetooth menu, and it closes out the app. Same with the wireless and data usage menus. So I can't pair up any wireless keyboards now.
I've uninstalled and reinstalled without any luck.
Any workarounds??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, I think the workaround may be to not update...

StoopidHead said:
I just received the latest update on the Fire Stick, v.54.1.1.0_user_11041020.
I now can no longer access some menus on the sideloaded settings.apk. I click the bluetooth menu, and it closes out the app. Same with the wireless and data usage menus. So I can't pair up any wireless keyboards now.
I've uninstalled and reinstalled without any luck.
Any workarounds??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am having the exact same issue. Brand new FireStick TV:
Software Version: Fire OS 5.0.3.2 (535062120)
I uploaded using ES Explorer via Cloud and MediaFire.
I noticed that when I push this file up, it shows as taking 4.77 MB, whereas tutorial videos showed something like 4.03 MB or something when you launch from Applications. It's the same Setup.APK that the tutorials use, but somehow gets bloated. I wonder if Amazon is doing something to the file when it is detected upon upload.
Maybe pushing the file in via another method or activating BT settings elsewhere is an option.

Same problem here. Looking for OS 5 compatible settings.apk

StoopidHead said:
I just received the latest update on the Fire Stick, v.54.1.1.0_user_11041020.
I now can no longer access some menus on the sideloaded settings.apk. I click the bluetooth menu, and it closes out the app. Same with the wireless and data usage menus. So I can't pair up any wireless keyboards now.
I've uninstalled and reinstalled without any luck.
Any workarounds??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also could not get any settings apk to work on mine (i tried Katkat & Lollipop versions but none worked) & had the same effects as you did, dont think you can use the settings apk with the new OS5 firmware? You cant pair your keyboard/controllers on your stick now i had the same problem on my AFTV2 box (not stick) but i have a usb socket which wouldnt work unless i did these steps bellow.
1. go to settings, deselect ADB Debugging (turn off)
2. plug in the wireless keyboard dongle, wired controller, usb hub or what ever you wanna connect
3. now everything works fine again
I know this is not a fix for your situation but im just letting you know ive also asked about the settings apk in the q&a forum here but had no responce.

Aftv 2015 remote stopped working

hello everyone as u see in the name of the topic
i live in CANADA and i bought this AFTV from US in december it has been working great till yesterday night when the remote went off and can't use it all and the box now is useless
is there a way to fix this cuz i can't download the amazon app in my tab or iphone since in canada is geographically restricted so now am stuck with it and more than that i used my keyboard trying to manually see what is happening and the remote was no longer recognized (batteries changed like 3 times with new ones ) and after that i pushed the usb debugging without reading the warning (dumb as i am) am beating my self to death now for that stupid move
so my first question is it possible to turn the usb debugging off thru the PC or tablet so i can use back the keybord
second is it possible that someone give me the amazon app for android tab samsung galaxy tab 3
and third is it possible that the problem comes from the bluetooth antenna of the fire tv cuz i tried to find the fire tv on my tab via BT it doesn't see it

After battery change I had to hold HOME button for 5 seconds to re-pair my remote.
As for your other questions, I have no idea.

Carthagenian12 said:
hello everyone as u see in the name of the topic
i live in CANADA and i bought this AFTV from US in december it has been working great till yesterday night when the remote went off and can't use it all and the box now is useless
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i've attached the remote apk.
the remotes are poor. battery terminals get covered with chemicals that leak from the amazon basic batteries
oh and the user above is right regarding holding the home button.

carpenter940 said:
After battery change I had to hold HOME button for 5 seconds to re-pair my remote.
As for your other questions, I have no idea.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tried more than u you think still no answer i found the apk in the web
but still how u turn the BT on and off in the AFTV do you need to root the fire tv in order to know that
and thanks for the attached file
now am using my tab till i find a remote that would work for tha AFTV

Carthagenian12 said:
tried more than u you think still no answer i found the apk in the web
but still how u turn the BT on and off in the AFTV do you need to root the fire tv in order to know that
and thanks for the attached file
now am using my tab till i find a remote that would work for tha AFTV
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strange I had this problem and tried batteries contacts ( seemed ok but cleaned anyway) on off on then unpairing then it didn't appear at all.
Then tried to pair my stick remote which showed as unsuccessful tried main remote again and all fine again

I may be wrong but I was experiencing the same problem. but this was with a ftv2ndgen. supposedly, the remote now uses wifi now instead of bluetooth. I had a wireless device next to fire tv (rasperry pi, tablet, phone, wifi enable stereo equip, wifi tv etc) I moved them all away or disabled them then brought them back one at a time. it came back. I then put the ftvbox under the tv instead of behind. I now keep wifi stuff away from it that can be kept away, but not all things. just minimize wifi near it. and clear line of site between the remote and ftvbox. has not happened again. I remember changing my batteries in like three times and everytime a checked the old batteries they were fine.

can't complete initial setup without updating guide,can't get to registration screen

hello
i have just bought my 1st amazon fire tv device,a fire stick manufacture date march 16 2016
and i am trying to follow a (probably outdated) guide from 2014 from AFTVnews
for avoiding update during initial setup
also i am using open DNS ,outside blocking
but the guide does not work
i see that this guide keeps on being suggested for people to use recently but has anyone ever confirmed if this guide is even still working on new fire tv sticks?
because i can not get to the registration screen no matter what i do
i have followed the guide to the letter about 100 times now, all it does is hang on the checking for updates screen and then it goes back to the error message screen every single time
it hangs at checking for updates for a really long time, like an hour
then it goes to the error screen , then i press the back button like the guide says and i re configure the wifi settings like the guide says and then hit connect ,then when it says connection successful i pull the ethernet cable out of the back of my router,the one going to my modem , before it gets to checking for updates
then it says checking for updates and hangs there for like an hour , then it just goes back to the error screen and i press the back button and start the process all over again
is there is any way out of this loop?
i think that this guide is just outdated and that this method has not been tested recently for the fire tv stick specifically
because i follow it exactly and get the same result every time
anyone know what i am doing wrong, if anything or if this guide even still works anymore and on current devices?
can anyone with a brand new stick(not fire tv 1 or 2) confirm that this still works or not?
because i have not been able to find a single account of anyone doing this and getting it to work
i have just wasted and entire weekend on this BS
regretting my purchase and wishing i just bought an android box,
i really wanted to get into this scene but these extremely poorly written and outdated guides have got me so frustrated and discouraged that i am just about to say F it and return this thing to the store and go buy an android box instead
it's just not worth the aggravation and waste of time

this device is a Fing piece of $hit, how can anyone deal with this $hit?
it paired with the remote instantly on 1st use, but after i unplugged it it will not pair, the 1st time i turned it on after unplugging it
it took 15 minutes to pair with the remote, the second time, the 3rd time unplugged it it paired in like 5 minutes, the 4th time i unplugged it and now when i turn it on it will not pair with the remote at all after an hour, i took out the batteries, put in new ones, i put the remote right up to the stick , i press the home button briefly, i hold it down have i tried everything and this damn thing will not pair at all now i just opened it 2 days ago ,says made in mid march 2016
F this device and F this scene i am out , returning this steaming pile of dog $hit and going to order a android box what god damn piece of $hit this thing is , how do you people deal with this $hit, every Fing time you turn it off the remote will not pair again
these devices are pure garbage
this is the worst product i have ever bought

Have you tried using the steps in the Can't Pair a Remote or Game Controller guide? I am waiting on the @rbox release of Fire OS 5 for the 1st Gen Fire TV Stick and can not test this out for now as far as rooting the device.

mjbxx said:
Have you tried using the steps in the Can't Pair a Remote or Game Controller guide? I am waiting on the @rbox release of Fire OS 5 for the 1st Gen Fire TV Stick and can not test this out for now as far as rooting the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes i did all of that i am just trying to pair the remote that came with it an it does not pair it worked right away the 1st time but one i unplugged it the 1st time it was nothing but problems from then on
also it keeps saying that i'm not using the amazon power supply when i am using it is this normal?
i think this thing is defective

gdroid666 said:
yes i did all of that i am just trying to pair the remote that came with it an it does not pair it worked right away the 1st time but one i unplugged it the 1st time it was nothing but problems from then on
also it keeps saying that i'm not using the amazon power supply when i am using it is this normal?
i think this thing is defective
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. That is not normal as I've never seen that message on my 4 Fire TV devices. Just exchange it and hopefully you'll have better results trying to root a Fire TV Stick.

mjbxx said:
No. That is not normal as I've never seen that message on my 4 Fire TV devices. Just exchange it and hopefully you'll have better results trying to root a Fire TV Stick.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
funny thing i was just about to take it back,i had the bag receipt and everything ready to go
i figured i'd try it one more time before going back to worst buy , i plugged it in again but this time i used the HDMI extension adapter
and it finally paired after like 10 minutes but then once i hit play it went straight into checking for updates
and it did not give me the option to configure my wifi or network settings ,it just connected and said checking for updates , so i yanked the ethernet cable from my modem out of the back of the router and this time it finally went to the registration screen
it had done this like twice before, i mean automatically going to checking for updates on power up without me configuring the wifi and i had pulled the cable but it never went to the registration screen before
i only had 2 domains blocked in open DNS
after it was on the registration screen i plugged the ethernet cable back into the router and added the other 2 domains to the block list in open DNS dash
but then i realized i was not sure if this thing even remembers the DNS settings, i assume it did not ,so i think that was a waste of precious time because i think it just connects to wifi without even going through open DNS if it goes to checking for updates on power up without giving you the option to pick the wifi network,enter the password and set the DNS settings, but i am really not sure about this
after i added the other 2 domains in open DNS and had all 4 on the list i went and checked the about menu and seen it was still on 5.0.5 and not on 5.0.5.1 , then i went and turned on adb and unknown apps
then i went to cmd prompt and connected to it and did pm hide com.amazon.device.software.ota
then i went into about checked it to make sure it was still on the older fw, then i went to check for updates and realized i forgot to disconnect the modem from the router, so i unplugged it again , i noticed it had downloaded the update or at least it looked like it did because the progress bar was all the way at the end but it was not installing
then i ran adb fire and debloater tool and did the hide the update.ota.apk option just to be sure
i have restarted a couple times and it is still on 5.0.5 ,but i still have not reconnected the wifi yet
but i think i should be in the clear,but the weird thing is that after i restarted it once or twice it still had the message in the check for updates menu that said downloading 5.0.5.1 ,it would not go away then i ran the debloater tool and hid the ota.apk
and now when i go in there it just hangs at checking for updates(but i did not yet reconnect the router to the modem yet) and the message about downloading 5.0.5.1 is gone
but i watched a few tutorial videos and they all show that it gives them an error message in checking for updates menu screen mine does not give me that message ,it just hangs at checking for updates and i am afraid to plug the modem back into the router now
but when i did both block methods, the one through cmd prompt it said some message, can't remember it exactly but it said something like hide: true so i assume it worked and in debloater it said something like status hidden
i did try to run the cmd prompt method again after i rebooted the 1st time to be sure but it kicked some error the second time maybe cause i was telling it to hide something that i already hid , but debloater seems to have given the confirmation even after i ran the cmd method
it has also stopped giving me the not amazon power supply error now too
i think maybe because when i initially powered it on for the 1st time it was connected to the tv usb , but then i switched it to the amazon power supply but it still was giving me the message on every reboot, it's like it remembers whatever it was connected to on initial boot and does not forget it until you finally get through completing the setup even if you switch it to the amazon power supply

I'm a bit confused. Is your Fire TV Stick rooted now?

mjbxx said:
I'm a bit confused. Is your Fire TV Stick rooted now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no it is unrooted on 5.0.5
i just used adb to block updates
it's brand new i was just trying to get past the initial setup without updating so i can root it in the future when rbox releases a pre rooted custom rom for it
but it would not go past the error screen and get to the registration screen
then it rebooted and went straight to checking for updates which it had done a few times before but this time it went to the registration screen after checking for updates, it usually just hung on that screen for about an hour and went back to the error screen no matter what i did
since it went to checking for updates right after i turned it on and pressed play without me configuring the network settings and DNS setting i did not put in the open DNS settings, so i don't know if remembers them from previous boots when i did enter them
so i am wondering if it not connecting through open DNS is what finally let me get to the registration screen
like if it has something in the FW that detects weather or not a proxy like open DNS is being used when it gets to connection successful and then it tells the device hey do not let this go to registration if a proxy is being used or if the update domains are blocked through open DNS
but then again i did have it go to checking updates a few other times at boot and i did not configure the wifi and DNS settings and it still hung on checking for updates and kicked back to error screen every single time
i don't what made it finally work but it was getting really frustrating, especially with the length of time it hung on the checking for updates screen

Firestick will not allow sign in - remote will not pair

Hi everyone
This is NOT the normal posting about pairing a remote to the Amazon Fire Stick. I have a Firestick and at the sign in page (where you connect your user account to Amazon) it is completely stuck. The remote does nothing.
Note:
The remote works fine on another Firestick
The batteries have been replaced and are OK
The usual tips for pairing the remote to the Firestick have all failed.
No matter what I do the remote will note pair (the remote is fine). I cannot get past the sign-in screen.
Does anyone know a way to reset the Firestick?
Has the Firestick gone completely?
Will ADB Link or other such device reset it?
Does anyone have any ideas please?
Thank you

3 options I can think of.
1) Use an OTG adapter and plug in a keyboard. Finishing signing in then navigate to the settings and pair the remote in the settings.
2) Same as the above except use the fire tv remote app on your phone.
4) Root the stick (if possible on your version) factory reset/wipe in TWRP. If that doesn't fully reset the device you can flash the stock firmware and it will restore it to the same state as it was out of the box, meaning the first screen will be on remote pairing.
I suspect what happens is the stick was deregistered. That usually brings up the sign-in page, and somewhere either the pairing was lost or that isn't the remote that was paired with that stick when it was deregistered.

Dear Sir
Thank you for your excellent, extensive response. However, I am unsure what TWRP is?
Thank you

I would highly suggest trying option 1 or 2 first. Option 3 requires rooting the stick and you should have a good understanding of what TWRP is before going down that path. Also you may or may not even be able to root it, depending on which you have and the software version it's on.

Hello it would have to be option 3. I tried the fire TV app and it would not install on either my phone or fire tablet. The only thing I cannot understand using TWRP is the tutorials I have seen say the Android device needs to have ADB Debugging ON.
Hardly a chance of doing it as I cannot access the device in the first place!!!
I will have a go and see what comes up.
Cheers

Using TWRP requires unlocking the device, and unlocking the device requires an older firmware that is vulnerable to an exploit. I don't know which Stick you have or your firmware version, but if the Stick has received an update since March, then there is no way to unlock it currently.
If you had TWRP, you wouldn't need to enable ADB debugging in FireOS, because TWRP includes it's own ADB binary that it enables.
Have you already tried the FireTV app on a phone/tablet? When you choose setup a new device, I thought the phone communicated with the Stick via Bluetooth?

Hello Finnzz!
thank you for the input.
I did try and install FireTV on my kindle tablet but it won't install for some reason.
I am not aware of the phone or device connecting via bluetooth (I thought it was only the remote that came with it that did that) but if it does connect with bluetooth I cannot get into the Firestick to actually connect to wi-fi or to turn on bluetooth devices! So, I am stuck!

Just to clarify, I'm talking about the FireTV app for Android.
Amazon Fire TV - Apps on Google Play
Simple navigation, a keyboard, plus voice search for Fire TV.
play.google.com
When using that app on your phone, and selecting:
'set up new device'
Then:
'Fire TV'
This will search for FireTVs via Bluetooth. Bluetooth is turned on by default on the FireTV. The stock FireTV remote connects to the Stick using Bluetooth, so it has to be on.
If you are using a FireHD tablet download the FireTV app from the Amazon app store, don't sideload the Google Play Store version.
Amazon Fire TV:Amazon.com:Appstore for Android
Edit: Also, have you already tried resetting the remote?
Reset Your Fire TV Remote - Amazon Customer Service
If your remote isn't working, try resetting it.
www.amazon.com

Hello
Thank you for the reply. Just to make sure does the Firstick need to be connected to wi-fi in order for bluetooth to work because if that is the case I cannot turn on wi-fi.
Thank you

Aussie Shiraz said:
Just to make sure does the Firstick need to be connected to wi-fi in order for bluetooth to work because if that is the case I cannot turn on wi-fi
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you already tried the remote reset procedure linked to above? This is the first thing you should try. Simply taking out or replacing the batteries does not reset it.
Did you already try using the FireTV app on another Android device? I wouldn't think that if the app is communicating via Bluetooth for setup that WiFi was needed. Try it and see

Bullseye!!!
Nailed it finally and the recommendation you put forward (Fire TV app) worked a treat. It amazed me how fast and responsive it was.
Without your assistance I thought the Firestick was ready for the bin.
I am very appreciative to the following contributors:
bnevets27​Finnzz​
Cheers!

Glad you got it sorted. Sorry for my misinformation, I wasn't aware the app commuted with the stick over Bluetooth.